i have never opened my fermenter between sealing it to ferment and opening it to siphon off for distilling. but i dont know really if it is better or worse... elricko? john?



Rob

I stir my fermenter without opening it. Mine is cylindrical so I 'wobble' it so that the liquid inside spins. When its going pretty fast, you can wobble it the other direction to get a fast mixing.

Thanks Harrell, I'll give it a try. Certainly can't hurt.

well i used to prepare my wash and seal it up untill it was ready. i read several things stating that it was a good idea to stir or at least shake it up a bit. now i mentioned in another thread that my son who is now 4 almost insists on stirring 'the stuff' everyday. i haven't found any real difference in the end result by either method. i get the same amount of output and the same great tasting 'stuff'.
just my 2 cents worth!!

Elriko: According to some texts, after letting the wash sit for a while it develops pockets of higher and lower consumable content, while on the other hand developing other pockets which are over saturated with yeast. Simple problem of supply and demand!

Also, like Harrell mentioned, dissolved CO2 will raise the acidity of the wash and inhibit the metabolic processes of the yeast ,if not out right kill it with more sensitive strands,.

Turbo yeast for example is so aggressive and produces so much CO2 that this can be a bit more of a problem ,yet it"s also engineered to be more PH tolerant and includes balancing agents,.

Healthy live yeast also needs solid matter to latch onto and help it stay afloat in the wash, hence dead husks are not always a bad thing.

Stirring the wash up will help release the dissolved CO2, balance out the PH, balance out the "supply and demand" problem and also add matter for the yeast to stay in the central mass of things, over all, making for a cleaner, faster fermentation.

Yep, draw back is that you"ll have to wait some extra time for it all to settle the moment fermentation is complete. But that"s why those blessed scientists developed settling agents for us!

No, John, pH buffers are NOT like catalysts. They are used up and that is exactly how they buffer. Part of the buffering system reacts with the excess acid, neutralizing it. When enough excess acid has reacted with the buffer so that the buffer is depleted, then there is no more buffering capacity. Please see a common textbook such as K. Timberlake, 'General Chemistry', Chapter 10 ,acids and bases,.

I never stir the fermenter, always use liquor quick turbo express yeast, do a double batch in a 18 gallon fermenter and it is done in 5 - 7 daysdepending on the temp. Sometimes after 3 - 4 days I may shake it a little and it starts right up. msmike

"Just stirred up a 8 KG turbo sugar mash. My first.

It's been cooking for 9 days now, I flipped a mental coin about stirring it and reread this thread and a few others. Used one of those folding-vane stirring rods on a portable drill on low speed. Went well for about ten seconds then I brought up the throttle a bit and all of a sudden the carboy foamed over like a 2 liter bottle of soda with a mentos candy dropped in it.

D'OH!

Carbonation.

Lost about a half gallon, got it mopped up, it's back to bubbling.

Don't think I'll do this with the next mash."

"

I did that once :)"

"I just wanted to make a comment about super kleer-- i always use it.:)

After you transfre from the fermenter bucket to a carboy under lock or just close the fermenter with an airlock, you are in the anaerobic phase of fermentation((making the alcohol)).:)

You never stirr the wash again once it is in this stage . The bubbler is to release the carbon dioxide created in this stage.

After fermenting ceases, you must rack off the lees before using the super kleer.

Then you apply the super kleer as per instructions and after a few days you again rack off the lees created by the super kleer.:)

Now you should have a very clear wash ready for distilling.:)

Any comments on this method???? please"